A Fresh Start
by KJ Bridgerton
Summary: She's finally returned,is it to late?
1. Chapter 1

She closed her eyes and steadied herself at the end of the drive. Trying to breathe before she faced the walk ahead of her, Hermione reached out and pushed open the gate. The garden before the house was beautiful. She remembered him telling her once how his mother loved to tend to the flowers so much that his father had planted them for her as a wedding present. During that summer together, he had taught her the names of the flowers in his native language. She smiled to herself that was when she had become determined to learn the language. He was trying so hard for her. His English improving every day, learning Bulgarian was the least she could do for him. It was to be a surprise, one of the many things she had not the time to tell him before the war tore them in two separate directions.

Hermione was to the porch of the house before she realized it. The large country home had been a place of safety and refuge that summer she had spent with him but now it appeared as something from her nightmares. Before she could knock the door opened and a woman emerged, her scarlet Vultures jersey pulled taut across her pregnant body. It was definitely a place of nightmares.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just on my way out; can I help you with something?"

Hermione couldn't breathe as her eyes took in the beautiful woman in front of her. Her dark hair pulled back away from her tanned face and stunning blue eyes. "No, no thank you. I was just…I shouldn't have come. Congratulations." She stuttered out before turning back down the path.

The woman's voice stopped Hermione in her tracks, "Are you Hermione?"

"I am."

"Oh how wonderful! Viktor will be so excited to see you. He has a game this afternoon; I'm on my way there now. You should come with me; the whole family will be there."

"I can't. I shouldn't have come, it's been to long. I'm sorry."

"Wait!" The woman grabbed Hermione's arm to keep her from apparating away. "You are looking for Viktor Krum, are you not? You look just like the pictures he has."

"I really do need to leave." Hermione pulled herself from the woman's grasp and let her eyes fall to her heavily pregnant waistline. Tears filling her eyes, "I should have known better, he was too wonderful to be unmarried for long. You're a lucky woman."

Hermione groaned to herself as the woman latched on to her arm again. "Stop! You misunderstand! The woman muttered under her breath in a language Hermione didn't understand before speaking in English again. "I am Anya, Viktor is my brother-in-law. Not my husband."

Tension left Hermione's body in a wave as tears filled her eyes. "You're not married to Viktor?"

Anya smiled and hugged Hermione as well as she could. "No, my dear, I am not."

With a wave of her wand Anya had cleared all traces of tears from Hermione's face and took her hand in hers. "I'm taking us to the pitch."

Before Hermione could protest she was standing at the entrance to a private box in the Vultures stadium. "Are you sure this is alright?"

Anya grinned and pulled Hermione down the steps, her voice carried over the box as she called out to her family in Bulgarian. "I found something in the garden; it was so wonderful I had to bring it with me."

Hermione met the surprised gaze of Viktor's mother and quickly adverted her eyes, fear evident in her posture as she looked anywhere but at the woman who had taken her in and trusted her with her son's heart before she was engulfed in a hug that could rival any of Mrs. Weasley's.

"You are alright! We read of course in the papers that you were safe but it is not the same as seeing you for ourselves."

Hermione wrapped her arms around Irina. "I am sorry."

Irina pulled herself back and cupped Hermione's face in her hands, "You have nothing to be sorry for, now come and watch with us."

Hermione cheered as the Vultures were announced. Her eyes widened as she took in Viktor on a broom. Immediately she was thrown back to that first night she had seen him. The Quidditch World Cup had been magnificent, never had she seen so many witches and wizards in one place. So many languages and people gathered in one place, it was simply…well magical. He had flown out over the crowd looking more at home on a broom than even Harry. Then there was that awful bludger to the face before he emerged with the snitch and ended the game. Hermione grinned to herself as she relived the moment she had first ran into him, literally.

_Hermione huffed and pulled her jacket tighter around her body, the wind whipping through the box much more of a reality now that the game was over. The Irish team crowded into the box, moving the leaving Bulgarians into the seats. Hermione tried to move back to avoid the fray but was cornered in by Weasley's. She groaned as she connected with the edge of the seat behind her as a large body pushed into her. _

_Viktor apologized in Bulgarian, he could tell by the look on her face that she had no idea what he was trying to say to her. He reached out his hand to steady her, pulling it back as he realized that it was still covered in his blood. "I am…sorry. I did not mean to hit you." _

_Hermione laughed quietly, "It's alright, just a bit crowded in here." Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a tissue and handed it to him. "You look like you could use this." He grinned at her and wiped at the blood still trickling from his face. His teammates began to pull him away but not before she turned back to him, "Nice catch," she blurted out blushing slightly as he grinned, quickly turning into a grimace from the pain of his nose and lifted his hand in a small wave. _

"_Hermione, what are you staring at?" Ginny's voice pulled her out of her thoughts of the tall, injured, quidditch player and back to the celebrating Weasley family. _

Hermione grinned, _Hopefully this match goes much better than the last I watched him play or he's going to start banning me from the field. _

Irina grinned, her attention for once not on her son flying so haphazardly hundreds of feet in the air but on the girl in the front row. Almost five years ago now Viktor had written to her about Hermione. How intrigued he was by her indifference to him, how beautiful he thought she was, and the run in they had in the box and the Quidditch World Cup. Her smile widened as Hermione gasped and cheered as the snitch was caught. This was going to be a most interesting afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

Viktor scowled as he handed the snitch over to the referee, the man had let foul after foul go by unnoticed, there was no proof that he had tried to purposefully sway the game so that their opponent would win but the number of bruises developing on his body protested that it truly was an unfair advantage for the other team. To make it worse he knew his brothers and sister in law would want to recount the game, his niece was sure to want to be carried around, and his mother would fawn over every place he had been hit.

"Cheer up, Krum!" Levski beat Viktor's back as he passed him on his way to the locker room, "We're well on our way to the championships, thanks to that catch!"

Viktor groaned, reaching up and massaging his shoulder he headed after his teammates towards the showers, hoping the hot water would relax his muscles.

"Krum, get out here. You're whole family is waiting patiently in the hallway and I've got someplace to go! Get out of that damned shower!"

Viktor shook his head; he couldn't ignore the yells of his coach any longer without suffering consequences at their next practice. "Doesn't being the best seeker you've ever seen grant me an extra ten minutes to get clean?" He hollered back.

"Out, Krum!"

Viktor grinned as he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the locker room and joined his teammates in the hallway. Flinging his arm around one of the beaters he grinned, "What has you all drooling like young dogs?"

"Volkov can't seem to keep his eyes of the new meet in the waiting room."

"You just wait until you see here, even you won't be able to resist."

Viktor laughed, "You can stand here like lovesick school boys but I am ready to see my bed."

"Play your cards right and you might not be in it alone tonight."

Viktor smacked his friend on the back of his head. "Because we all know yours is always occupied." He moved his way down the hall, "Come, so we can get this over with and get out of here."

Hermione held her breath as she watched the team pass by the door on their way to the press room. Viktor's brother and sister had gone there to see him but his mother had excused herself and Hermione, along with Viktor's father, to the family waiting room to avoid the noise and the mass of people.

"Don't fret, dear, they won't come in here first. They will finish their work before they come to find whoever may be waiting in here. You know how they work, they'll be quidditch brained until they have rehashed the game with the press and then they'll relax."

Hermione stood, "I can't do this here. I thought I could but I can't." Hermione moved to apparate but Irina grabbed her arm.

"You can't leave, not yet."

"I can't stay here. I need to go."

Irina pushed the girl back down into her chair, "Hermione, you can not apparate in this condition. You can barely breathe, there is no way you can apparate safely."

Hermione nodded and took a deep breathe, closing her eyes. Irina kneeled in front of the girl and smoothed her hair back, "I will take you home. You will feel better once we are away."

The younger woman nodded and let Viktor's mother pull her into a comforting embrace before she felt the familiar pull of apparition.

"Viktor!"

Viktor grinned as he pulled his sister-in-law into a careful hug, "Excellent game! I did, however, think it was never going to end." He grinned as he listened to his sister chat on while he walked back towards the waiting room. He knew his Mama would be waiting back there. She never had enjoyed listening to the team answer questions from the media.

"Papa, where is Mama?" Viktor asked as he pulled back from the hug his father bestowed upon him.

"She left early to take care of something at the house, she hopes you will come home before you take off for your own place."

"Of course I will, Papa."

"You will be joining us as well, Alex, Anya?"

Anya grinned and absently rubbed her protruding bump, "Oh we wouldn't miss this for the world." She winked at Viktor and grabbed her husbands hand before they twirled out of sight.

Viktor shook his head, "She is acting even stranger than normal."

Andon grinned, "She is a woman, son, what would you expect? Now come along, your mother will have dinner waiting for us and I am sure that you are hungry after working for so long."

Viktor appeared in the front garden of his parents' home, slightly concerned when his father did not appear directly behind him.

"Viktor, come around back dear."

He followed the sound of his mother's voice and met her at the side of their home. "Your father had a stop to make before he came home. There is someone here to see you. Go on back."

Hermione held her breathe as she heard Viktor talking to his mother. He was so close now, even more than he had been at the match. Then she knew there was no danger of actually speaking to him. She stood from the swing she had been nervously pushing herself back in forth in and waited for his arrival.

She watched as he froze as she came into view. Nervously she pulled at the sleeves of her jacket and waited for him to speak, her Gryffindor courage failing her.

"What are you doing here, Hermione?" His speech in English now for her benefit.

"I knew this was a bad idea. I'll go. I apologize for coming."

Viktor closed his eyes and reached his hand out for her, slipping back into Bulgarian he grumbled to himself, "That is not what I wished to say."

His eyes widened when he heard the witch in front of him respond to him in his native tongue. "Dare I hope that you wish for me to stay?"

She shrugged at his shocked expression and moved closer to him until she was within reach of his arms.

"You understand me?"

She smiled at him, a blush rising up her face. "After that summer, I thought it would be nice to know what you were saying, to be able to converse with your family in your language."

Viktor ginned and pulled her into his embrace, her palms resting against his chest as she looked up at him. "I will have to watch my language now if you can scold me in more than one language."

Hermione laughed and dropped her head against his chest, content to rest there until she could work up the courage to say what she needed to say next.


	3. Chapter 3

"Am I too late, Viktor?"

"Too late, it is only now time for dinner."

Hermione took a deep breath and backed away from him. "I can't think when I'm so close to you. I never have been able to."

She paced back and forth in front of him. Viktor grinned he could remember her doing this when they had been young, what seemed now to be so many years ago, pacing back and forth as she worked on a troubling school assignment or helping him and Harry in the tasks during that awful tournament. He would let her pace as long as she needed as long as it kept her in the garden.

"The war ended two years ago."

"Indeed."

Frustrated, Hermione threw her hands up in the air. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Viktor's grin slid off his face as he stepped towards Hermione, slowly backing her up against the tree she had been pacing in front of.

"What do you wish me to say, Hermione? You are the one who came here. You came to me. I believe that to mean you have something to say to me."

"I thought Anya was your wife."

Viktor's hand rose to cup her face, "I have no wife."

Hermione sighed and allowed her forehead to drop against his chest. Her heart leapt at his statement and yet she ghosted over it. "I didn't know what to say. I tried so many times to write to you but each time I couldn't send it. What do you say? What could I say?" Her laughter came out harsh and bitter, "Dear Viktor, sorry I didn't write. I've been camping with my best mates. Oh yeah, we helped Harry defeat Voldemort. Hope everything is going well back home. I look forward to your next letter."

She felt his body tense under her touch.

"It is not like I did not know that you would be helping him, Hermione. He is your friend. He needed you, your help. Even now, looking back, I am surprised that you were not the thing that he would miss the most during the Second Task. Childish games they may have been but they were not for children"

Viktor moved away from her and in towards the glow that seemed to be calling to them from the house. "I do not live here anymore. I have my own house. I am tired and wish to rest."

Hermione watched as his body seemed to pull in even more to himself. She was grateful that he stopped walking away and began to speak to her again. She had not expected such a welcome as she had received when they first met but now that they were together she did not wish to part so quickly and especially not on such terms.

"I will not lie to you and say that I was not hurt that you did not let me know that you were okay or even that you were not okay. It is not an easy task to be the friend of one such as you. You had important things to do, Hermione, but those of us you left behind are important as well. Did you think we would not worry? Did you think your parents would not worry?"

Hermione scoffed to herself. _Her parents. Hah, her parents were soaking up the sun blissfully unaware that they were parents. If all was as planned, they didn't even feel the desire to even be parents._

"You have no idea how much I worried about that! Do you think that I just ran off into the night with no planning? You think we would have survived that long if I had just winged it?" She was seething now. How dare he for one moment think that she did not consider those she was leaving behind?

"Of course, I have no idea!" his voice raising as he turned to face her once again.

She was not the only one angry now. "That is the problem!" Viktor was seething. "You ran off without a word! When you disappeared we were in the same place! I could see you across the room! I understand that it would have been difficult..."

"DIFFICULT? You _understand _that it would have been _difficult_?" She seethed, "You understand nothing! Here, so far away, safe with your nice happy family. Playing quidditch and attending parties. I gave up everything! EVERY THING!"

"YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO GAVE THINGS UP!"

Hermione was stunned by his outburst. Never before had he raised his voice in her direction. She watched as he took a deep breath and began to compose himself.

His hands were still clenched into fists but his voice was quieter when he continued, "I may not have been a member of the "Golden Trio"

She winced at the quotation marks he made as he spat the nickname the press had given her and her friends.

"but that does not mean that I did not do my part. You should know me better than to think that I would sit on the sidelines and watch as the future, my future, was decided. It was not all games and quidditch as you seem to think. I did my part. I fought. I bled. I sacrificed."

He was stalking closer to her once more. "Take a good look, Hermione. You will find this body much more scarred than the one of the boy you once knew."

Anger still flowed from her petite body. "Scars? You wish to talk of scars." In a flurry of movement she ripped her shirt off over her head and shoved her arms at him. Even in the failing twilight Viktor could see the silvery scars crisscrossing her body before they disappeared under her bra and even down below the waistline of her pants.

"These are what the Healers could not fade away."

Gently, his large hands traced her scars. "Mudblood" ran down her arm in large spidery letters.

Viktor's voice was deep and rough as gravel when he finally spoke again. "Who did this to you?"

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"It matters, Hermione."

The pair seemed to drown in the silence that surrounded them. Both desperately looking for an out to the uncomfortable situation but both knowing that if anything was to proceed past this night that it was a silence they would have to overcome. A silence they would have to overcome together.

It wasn't until she began to shiver that Viktor truly realized that she stood before him with nothing but her bra covering the top of her body. Running his hands down her arms once more, he carefully pried the shirt from her clenched hands and turned it so she could slip into it.

A faint blush slid up her neck as he helped back into her clothing. Hermione felt as if the twins had slipped her a Ton-Tongue-Taffy as she tried to finds words to speak. "Thank you." It was insufficient but it was all she could manage.

"It seems there are many things we need to talk about. Things that would be much better spoken of in the day, I would like it very much if you would accompany me home. We could start this discussion anew tomorrow?" Viktor smoothed her hair back from her face as he tried to figure out which words he wished to use next. "I do not wish for you to go. There is much to do and I do not want to waste anymore time. As you said, the war has been over for two years. That is a long time to go without speaking."

Hermione managed a small smile and held up her small beaded bag. "I have everything I need. Do you wish to go now?"

Viktor sat straight up in bed as he heard screams coming from the guest room in the hall above him. Grabbing his wand he rushed from his bed not bothering to take time to find socks or shirt he took off full speed for Hermione's room.

His wand light showed Hermione as she tossed and turned in the bed. Covers kicked around until they had become restraints instead of a comforting over layer of warmth. Sweat beaded across her forehead before running back into her hair.

Viktor was frozen by her bedside as he listened to her whimpers, "It's a fake, please no. It's only a fake." Followed closely by more sobs, it took another bout of screaming to stir him from his stupor.

Gingerly he lowered his body onto the mattress next to her. "Hermione? Hermione?" His gentle shakes roused her from her slumber. Still screaming she sat upright as her fists began failing wildly about, hitting Viktor several times before he was able to magically fill the room with candle light and capture her arms in his.

"Hermione, my dear, look at me. Nothing will harm you here. Nothing."

She fell against his chest sobbing. "I'm so sorry. So sorry. I thought I would be okay without the dreamless sleep tonight."

He pulled himself back from her; just enough to tip her head back so she was looking in to his eyes. "Never apologize for being afraid. You once told me, that part of being in love meant having someone to be brave for you."

Hermione sniffled and wiped the tears from her face, using the corner of the sheet she cleaned up her face as best she could. Crying is not a pretty act after all. "I can't believe you remember that."

Viktor chuckled, "You'd be surprised the things I remember."

He moved to extract himself from the bed and was surprised when her hand caught his. "Please don't leave me here alone. I mean…just…stay with me."

Viktor sighed as he moved to straighten out the covers, "We still have a lot to discuss."

"I know. Just not tonight. Please, I…I need you to be brave for me."

Of course he would stay. As if there had been any doubt from the first moment her screams had echoed throughout his house. There was nowhere else he would be spending the rest of the night. Even if he she had not asked he would have at very least conjured a chaise lounge and spent the night standing guard outside her door.

Once the blankets were in their rightful place, he slid into the bed next to her. He was slightly surprised when her body instantly curled up next to him as it had all those years ago. They still had a long way to go but he was glad to see that some things were still the same.

**AN: **Ginormous special things to Amie01 for following this story. In doing so she reminded me that yes, i had actually posted chapters 1 and 2 on ff. I would apologize for my oversight; however, it would probably be more effective if i just handed you rotten fruit to throw at me in displeasure. :D I hope you enjoy and thanks for hanging in here with me.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione smiled to herself as she leaned against the balcony railing outside her window. It was a beautiful morning. Lost in thought, she startled slightly as Viktor moved a cup of coffee into her line of sight.

Eagerly she accepted the cup and took a sip before speaking. "It is quite lovely here."

Viktor grinned at her back, loving the way she spoke so easily in his native language. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that she had learned it just for him. "The house sits on two hundred acres of land. We're right in the middle of it."

Hermione turned and grinned, "No pesky neighbors then?"

He laughed, loud and clear it rang out over the meadow below. "Yes, love, no pesky neighbors here."

They basked in the quiet until Viktor finished his cup, "Would you like to take a hike? The woods are beautiful."

He was relived as we watched a smile brighten her face, he was uncertain if she would still enjoy hiking in the woods as much as she used to.

"Oh, could we take a picnic lunch? We could make a day out of it!"

Barely twenty minutes later, Hermione had transfigured her shoes into hiking boots and was pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she waited for Viktor in the front entrance.

"You ready to go, love?"

"I am now. Did you pack us something to eat?"

Viktor patted his pants pocket. "Shrunk down and ready to go. I packed two things of water as well in case we need something. I'm not sure how safe the river is. I've not had any one out to test the water."

The warm fall day had already coaxed Hermione into shedding her warm long sleeved shirt long before they stopped to rest and enjoy their elf packed lunch. Basking in the sun after she had finished, Hermione looked over to see Viktor intently studying her arm just as he had the previous night.

Turning her face back towards the sky, she gathered her thoughts before she spoke.

"When Harry, Ron, and I apparated away from the wedding we didn't have much of a plan. Dumbledore had left us almost nothing to go on and very few clues on even where we should start and even those were extremely cryptic. All we had was what I had packed. Finally we ended up camping because there was no safe place for us to go. We were hunting…"

Hermione paused and looked back over at him, stretched out watching the clouds like she was, he turned his head towards her when she remained silent. "Have you ever heard of horcruxes?"

Viktor's face scrunched as he tried to recall the vaguely familiar word. "It's a form of dark magic…something to do with splitting your soul. We skimmed over the act but not the details in school."

Hermione nodded to herself, slightly surprised about the depths of the Dark Art knowledge taught at Durmstrang.

"It was Advanced Defense against the Dark Arts. I took it my seventh year, most who take it go on to be some form of Dark Wizard Catcher or Curse Breaker, and even those leaning towards Healing take the course."

That made a bit more sense to her befuddled mind, at least enough that she stopped mulling over the thought and continued on with her tale.

"Voldemort split his soul into seven pieces. When we left that night we set out to destroy them all. We had one with us for a long time. It brought out the worst in all of us. It drove Ron to the point of desertion." She was glad Viktor was quiet even though she knew his thoughts were far from silent.

"He was able to come back to us but not long after that we were captured by snatchers. We were able to disguise Harry, not well enough of course, before they took us to Malfoy Manor."

It seemed to Hermione that even the birds had stopped singing as she came to this part of her story.

"They dragged the boys off down to the dungeons below and left me with Bellatrix Lestrange. I can still hear her voice. Low and raw as she screamed at me, even in pain I could tell how scared she was. It gave me hope that we really were on the edge of something vitally important. It wasn't much but at first it was enough…"

Hermione's voice was a whisper among the silence after she gathered enough courage to go on. "I don't remember much of what was going on around me. There was so much pain. She used the cruciatus curse more times than I can count. That though at least didn't leave a permanent mark."

She sat up and crossed her legs and waited while Viktor mimicked her position. He reached out and gently ran his thumb across her arm. "I just wanted to die. It hurt so much. I screamed until my throat was raw. And when she stopped, I prayed that whatever came next would bring death swiftly with it. Laying there on the floor in the drawing room at Malfoy Manor I gave up. I just gave up."

Viktor couldn't contain himself any longer as he watched the tears stream down her face he pulled her so that he could cradle her in his arms. Her face buried in his neck she marched on. "The pain was so intense that I didn't even realize what she was doing until she was halfway through my arm. She wanted to me be reminded of what I was."

He pulled her even tighter in to his embrace. "You are a hero, Hermione. Without you Harry never would have been able to defeat Voldemort. It was you Hermione, your abilities, your unending love for him that matters, these letters on your arm are proof that YOU are stronger. If anything you are the true hero of the story."

He felt her lips begin to move, surely to voice her protest, "No." He stopped her from speaking, "You can say what you wish but you will never convince me otherwise."

She stayed quiet.

* * *

><p>Viktor tossed around in his bed again. He couldn't sleep. It had been two days since Hermione had shared her story with him in the woods. He knew there was more to the story but the hardest part was out of the way.<p>

Her scars weren't his problem. He couldn't get her voice out of his head; it kept repeating those words over and over again. _"I gave up…I just gave up." _ A part of him wasn't convinced that she had ever come back from that. Was that why she had stayed away for so long? The worry and fear that she couldn't go on? That _he_ wouldn't want to go on.

For him it was a ridiculous thought but maybe not for her. After all what did he know? His story was no where near as brutal and horrible as hers.

Viktor threw back his blankets and made his way barefoot down to the kitchen for a drink. He was only mildly surprised to find his house guest already there.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Viktor shook his head and grabbed another mug out of the cabinet and waited as she poured tea into the mug and fixed it to his liking.

He sipped his on his drink while he collected his thoughts. He knew what he wanted to say but wasn't sure how to do so.

Deciding to side rail his thoughts from early he opened his mouth to speak.

"Ca...Hmm" he cleared his throat before starting again. "Can you tell me about the last two years?"

She cocked her head to the side and arched her brow in confusion.

"What have you been doing? I feel as if we've focused too much on the war that I'm still missing a large chunk of you in the last years."

She smiled in understanding. "I went back to Hogwarts to finish my academic career there. It was different, to say the least. Harry and Ron didn't return. They were accepted into the Auror academy right away." She shrugged her shoulders. "I was offered several positions but I wanted to finish my education. There was so much out there I needed the time to figure out what I wanted to do. Plus I had focused so hard on N.E.W.T preparation that I refused to miss out."

"And did you figure out what you wished to do?"

She laughed, "No, not at all. I've been doing odd things here and there trying to tie up lose ends after the war and I've been spending a lot of time with Teddy Lupin. He's Harry's godson both of his parents were killed during the last battle."

Hermione pulled her wand from her pocket and gave it a flick. "This is Teddy. He just turned two this past April." Placing her wand back on the table, Hermione couldn't help but grin. "He lives with his grandmother most of the time but when she needs a break, or really when ever we just need some," she brought her hands up and made quotations in the air, "'Teddy Time' Harry and I both love to spend time with him."

She grinned widened as she looked over at Viktor, "You should hear him try to pronounce my name, he's worse than you ever were."

Viktor laughed, "Do you make him practice or do you let him refer to you as something else?"

Hermione reached out and playfully smacked his arm. "Don't you think I don't notice the endearments you call me so that you don't have to say my name and yes I let him call me Mya."

Viktor placed his hand over his heart and leaned back into his chair, "Alas, I am wounded fair lady doth love another more than me."

He reveled in the sound of her giggles.

Hermione yawned and stretched her arms out and above her head. "I think I might try to sleep again."

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips on her way out the door. "I wouldn't mind waking up as we did a few mornings ago. It was a nice way to start the day."

Her departure left Viktor pondering whether she meant waking in his arms or their morning on the balcony. Deciding he didn't care because he knew what he desired, he placed their dishes in the sink and followed her path up the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, love, it's time to get up." Viktor shook Hermione's arm, "I have a special surprise for you."

Hermione slapped her hand in his direction and rolled over on her side, uncaring that her halfhearted slaps missed completely. Undeterred, he continued to shake her arm, "It's not something that will keep."

"My parents are dentists; I won't have ice cream for breakfast." Hermione grinned as she peered up at him over her shoulder.

Viktor choose to ignore her snark, it was early morning after all. "Get up, love, there is coffee in the kitchen. Dress warmly."

Hermione groaned as she flopped onto her back and watched Viktor leave the room.

"I hate surprises." She grumbled to herself, pushing back her covers and throwing her legs over the side of the bed. "Dress warmly my arm. It's Bulgaria in late fall, I always dress warmly."

Attired in a jeans and a long thermal shirt, Hermione took her time sipping her coffee as she waited for Viktor to emerge from wherever he had disappeared to.

"Are you ready to go?"

Hermione smiled, "This is my second cup of coffee. I could take over the world." Stretching she stood from her chair. "Now tell me what this surprise is so my blood pressure will return to normal."

Viktor shook his head, "You are going to have to as you say _deal with it_, because every now and then I'm going to do things like this. Now put on your shoes and let's go."

Hermione shivered as she stood next to Viktor in the back garden of his parents' home. "This is not a good surprise. No one is home and we just saw your family yesterday for lunch and the day before that when they dropped in for a visit."

"Love, hold on for a moment."

Hermione grumbled to herself, crossing her arms across her chest to try and hold in a bit of warmth. It wasn't working.

BAM.

Hermione jumped as the nose echoed through the yard followed quickly by a small scream. Her wand was out and at the ready before she could get her breathing back under control. It wasn't until she heard familiar laughter that she relaxed enough to slip her wand back into her arm holster. Just in time to as a small dark haired bundled quickly slammed into her legs.

"Mya, Mya"

Hermione was almost in tears as she disentangled the boy from her legs and sank to the ground in front of him, "Teddy! I have missed you!"

She watched fascinated as his hair changed, as it usually did in her presence, to a curly unruly mess. "Harry told me he had a surprise but he didn't tell me what! He just said we had to go some place today!"

"I'm surprised too, Teddy. The friend I'm staying with told me the same thing. I'm so glad it's you."

Teddy climbed his way up into Hermione's waiting arms and snuggled his head into the crook of her neck. "Don't tell Harry, Mya, but that portkey thing was awful."

Hermione snorted. "I don't like them either Teddy."

Turning she grinned at Viktor. "Teddy, I want you to meet my friend." Gently she lowered the boy back on to the ground and walked them over to join Harry and Viktor. Before she could say anything Teddy was talking a mile a minute.

"Viktor Krum! Mya it's Viktor Krum."

"I know Teddy. I've been staying here with him."

His eyes grew wide, "Is this his house?" he whispered to her, his voice intense.

Viktor grinned, "This is my parents' home. Portkeys can not land at my place so Harry and I arranged to have you two arrive here."

"Well that's good. There's really no place to play quidditch here."

The adults laughed as Harry ruffled the boys now magenta hair. "Don't worry Teddy. I'm sure Viktor has plenty of space to play quidditch at his house but today we thought you might like to see a Vultures match.

"Well I didn't bring you all this way to let you leave her behind."

Harry answered as Hermione scoffed and hugged the boy to her leg,

"Of course I am Teddy."

"You promise not to read a book the whole time like you did when we saw the Cannons play?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to blush, even if it was only in her cheeks and not displayed through her hair color. "Yes, Teddy, I promise that I won't even bring a book with me."

* * *

><p>Gently Hermione ran her fingers through Teddy's hair as she watched him sleep. "Thank you for this."<p>

Viktor nodded at her from his place leaning against the door jamb of the entrance into the room. "I thought you didn't like surprises?"

"I'll make an exception for this one but just this once." Hermione shifted on the bed so that she could see him. He had changed from his uniform and was looking as relaxed as she had seen him in a long time. "You did an impressive job today. Teddy and Harry had a wonderful time."

"Did you?"

"Well, Teddy refused to let me bring a book along. In fact, he even checked my bag before we left." Hermione leaned down and kissed Teddy on the forehead before making her way to the door. "It turns out I actually enjoy watching quidditch."

Viktor snorted, "Yes, because all those years at Hogwarts cheering in the stands led me to believe other wise."

"It should have." She leaned up, brushing her lips chastely against his chin, "Come, let's find Harry and hope that he hasn't gotten into too much trouble in our absence."

"I should have hidden my broom collection."

There was no need to worry.

* * *

><p>Pacing back in forth in front of the large fireplace Harry debated, as he had been doing for the past two days, the best way to break the news to her. So far they had managed to keep anything from leaking to the press but it wasn't likely to stay that way for much longer.<p>

He muttered to himself, "Hermione, there's been an accident…no that won't work…Hermione, you see, a few days ago…the real reason we came here was…" Harry raked his hands through his hair in frustration before flopping down onto the couch before springing back up and into action. He couldn't keep his body still.

"Harry, why are you pacing the floor?"

His wand flew into his hand from his arm holster; quickly he re-sheathed it but not before Hermione noticed his hand movements. Quickly she stood in front of his path, halting his steps. "Harry, what's going on? You've been jumpy all day. It's been a long while since you acted this way."

Viktor watched as Hermione gently reached up and detangled Harry's hand from his own hair and led him over to the couch.

"It's Dolohov. Hermione he's looking for you and hexing anyone who gets in his way."

She paled and sunk back into the couch, her hand going limp in Harry's. "That's impossible. Professor Flitwick took him out during the Battle at Hogwarts. We were there, Harry, we cataloged his body."

"It's him, Hermione. There's no doubt in my mind."

Viktor could not stand and be silent any longer. He crossed the room and pulled Hermione into his arms.

"How can you be sure?" His voice rough deepened from fear and anger.

Harry sighed and dropped his face down into his hands. "He's been attacking girls who resemble Hermione. I didn't want to say anything until we knew for sure that something was happening but there's no denying it know, he's been sending messages through the women he's murdered. We set up a sting operation to catch him. It went bad. For us."

Harry turned and grasped Hermione's hands in his own rough ones, "Hermione, Ron's at St. Mungo's."


End file.
